If you like curly cats, then you will love Selkirk Rex with chic wavy fur. Flowing curls were given to these cats by mother nature herself. Sometimes Selkirk Rex is called a cat in sheep's clothing. The breed is not only charming in appearance, but also wins hearts with its wonderful character.
Breed history
The Selkirk Rex cat breed is young enough - they broke into the world of animal lovers only 14 years ago. Of course, representatives of this breed are still quite rare, but Selkirk Rex can already be found around the world.
In July 1987, the most ordinary smooth - haired tricolor cat was born an amazing creature - a curly white-cream-blue cat named Miss dePesto. Her brothers and sisters were quite ordinary kittens. The owner of a rare instance was the breeder of Persian cats Jerry Newman.
Newman realized that Miss dePesto's curly hair was unique, and decided to find out if it was inherited. For this, the owner crossed the cat with a black Persian cat, the champion of the breed. So in July 1988, six kittens were born, three of whom inherited maternal curly fur.
This distribution showed that the curly gene is dominant, which means that for the appearance of the original kittens, it is enough for one of the parents to have it. It also meant that ordinary smooth-haired kittens born from this pair had the missing gene and their offspring would never be curly. One of the curly kittens was long-haired, which means that Miss dePesto herself had a recessive longhair gene.
One of the kittens born in this litter, Oscar Kowalski, is the second ancestor of the breed, his name is found in the pedigrees of many Selkirks. The children of Miss dePesto and Oscar also had a color point color, that is, dePesto also had the gene responsible for this color. It is the genetic wealth of Miss dePesto that determines such a variety of colors, textures and coat lengths of modern Selkirk-Rex cats. Photos show that all cats have an interesting appearance.
The breed received its name in honor of the mountains in the north of the US state of Montana. The word "rex" indicates that the representatives of the breed have curly hair (similar to the Devon Rex, Cornish Rex).
For the development of the pedigree line, the first representatives of Selkirk Rex were bred with Persian cats, exotics, British and American shorthair cats. Since the breed is still young, interbreeding is still practiced in order to improve it. In 2000, the CFA recognized the Selkirk Rex breed.
Description
Cats of this breed have a rounded skull, full cheeks and vibrissa pads. Ears of conical shape, medium size, widely spaced and broad at the base. The eyes are large and rounded, which will come to the cat's face with a surprised and curious expression.
The size of the body is large or medium, the back is straight, slightly raised at the back, the torso is muscular. The tail is thick at the base, of medium length.
Of course, the main distinguishing feature of the Selkirk Rex breed is its soft curly hair. Curly hair is all three types of hair - spine, undercoat and integument. Curls are most noticeable on the tail and neck. Even the vibrissae curl, which gives the face a mischievous and outrageous expression.
Selkirkas can be either long-haired or short-haired. The difference between them is very distinct. Shorthair cats have medium-long hair. It is soft, velvet, with waves throughout the body. Longhair selkirks have long hanging curly hair. For both types, it is very thick.
There are no restrictions on colors - selkirks can be of any color, including color point. What does Selkirk Rex look like? Photos show that these are charming animals.
Character
Of course, the first thing that attracts attention in Selkirk Rex is curly hair. But for the owners, the nature of the animal is of great importance. Selkirk are excellent companions, they are contact, quickly attached to people, friendly, but at the same time unobtrusive.
Selkirks are loyal to children and other animals. But because of sociability, cats can hardly stand loneliness. Selkirkas remain kittens all their lives and love to play. They tirelessly will drive a candy wrapper or a toy mouse. And the favorite game will be the one in which the owner will take part.
Care
Shorthair cats are minimally cared for - a weekly combing and bathing is sufficient if necessary. But long-haired representatives need to pay more attention to comb a good comb at least twice a week and bathe once a month. These measures are needed to prevent the formation of warlocks.
Spread
Selkirk-rex is still quite rare, and breeders are reluctant to part with carriers of rare genes, even the pet class. But gradually, the breed is becoming more common. If you want to buy a Selkirk Rex kitten, then you will have to get on the waiting list for six months to a year. If the sex and color of the animal is important, the wait may be delayed. It’s easier to get a kitten with ordinary straight hair, but with a wonderful selkirk character.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that many mistakenly consider Selkirks to be hypoallergenic. The gene, usually causing allergies in humans, is found in the saliva of an animal and is carried onto the hair when it is licked. Therefore, if you have an allergy to cats, then it will manifest itself on Selkirk-Rex.